For the majority of the 2025 season, the Broncos' defensive unit has been one of the truly elite groups in football, led by a dominating pass rush and suffocating secondary. The front and back ends of the Broncos' defense are led by a pair of $100 million defenders up front and the Defensive Player of the Year on the back end. Undoubtedly, their defense is star-studded.
With every unit that is headlined by stars, other players need to hold up their end of the bargain to ensure the overall health of the unit. For the Broncos, this mostly falls on one corner in particular: Riley Moss. In his third season out of Iowa, Moss has more or less become the focal point of the Denver defense.
Running opposite of Pat Surtain II and playing in front of an elite safety duo in Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones, Moss is typically considered the weakest link of the Denver secondary. The reality for other teams, however, is that Moss has more than held his own this year. One shocking stat shows how well he has played, despite his absurdly high target rate.
This stat shows just how dominant the Broncos defense has been in 2025
Riley Moss, one of the most targeted corners in football, has allowed a completion percentage of just 39.1% this season, which is the lowest of any defensive back in the NFL, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats. Moss leads the AFC in targets through seven weeks, being thrown at a little over 40 times.
Despite his struggles with penalties, which were made worse in Week 7 by an absurdly awful defensive pass interference call on an underthrown ball by Jaxson Dart.
If the corner that most teams are planning on attacking through the air is posting a completion percentage below 40%, then the Broncos are in incredible shape. To Moss' credit, he has faced some of the NFL's most talented second wideouts so far this year: DeVonte Smith, Keenan Allen, Tee Higgins, and should line up against George Pickens this week.
Still, Moss is posting the best completion percentage of any corner in football and doing more than his part to serve as a strong pairing with Pat Surtain.
There is clear room for improvement for the third-year corner out of Iowa. Moss has been flagged six times in seven games, with four accepted, but the talent and ability to cover elite receivers are clear. If we are being honest, Moss would probably serve as the top corner on multiple teams, and is one of the better second corners in football.
If he continues to get targeted at the rate he has, the interceptions will eventually start to come his way, and Moss might begin seeing the national praise that he deserves.